Datsyuk delivers as Red Wings top Canadiens

Datsyuk scored two goals on the rookie goaltender, who was
battling the flu prior to the game, as the Detroit Red Wings
defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, in a battle of "Original
Six" teams.

The Russian star scored Detroit's first two goals - both
unassisted - and added an assist to pace the Red Wings to their
fourth straight victory.

Datsyuk opened the scoring by capitalizing on a Montreal miscue
with 3:30 remaining in the first period.

Showing great anticipation, Datsyuk intercepted an attempted
clearing pass by Steve Begin, skated in and wristed a shot from
20 feet past a screened Price to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.

"I had a lot of shots, a lot of chances to score and I wanted to
score a hat trick," Datsyuk said. "(It would be) my first, it
is my dream."

Christopher Higgins leveled the score at 5:17 of the second
period.

After Saku Koivu blasted a shot from the top of the left faceoff
circle, the former Yale star backhanded the rebound past an
out-of-position Dominik Hasek for his 11th goal of the season.

That was all Montreal could muster against Hasek, who was facing
the Canadiens for the 42nd time in his career. He finished
with 15 saves.

"We had a better defensive game," Higgins said. "Our focus
before the game was two things - not to turn pucks over in the
neutral zone and to get shots on net from anywhere we could.
That's two things we didn't do tonight.

"We have a game plan Guy (Carbonneau, Montreal coach) was saying
in between periods we have to stick to it and all 20 guys have
playing the exact same way. We didn't have that tonight."

Datsyuk's second goal of the night and seventh in five games
regained the lead for the Red Wings.

Datsyuk wristed a shot over Price's right shoulder with just
under nine minutes remaining in the second period for his 11th
goal of the season.

Niklas Kronwall gave Detroit a two-goal cushion just 2:37 later.

The defenseman ripped a shot past a screened Price from the left
point, beating the netminder just inside the left post to give
the Red Wings a 3-1 lead.

Henrik Zetterberg blasted a shot from the high slot which beat
Price to give Detroit a three-goal bulge with 6:10 remaining in
the contest. It was his 18th goal of the season.

"You do things and things happen," Zetterberg said. "Tonight he
(Datsyuk) carried us for the first two (periods), scoring two
great goals."

The Montreal fans expressed their displeasure with a chorus of
boos after Tuesday's performance.

"I think it's tough to play that way. It's not as if we weren't
trying. It may not have seemed that way to the fans, but we
are trying hard and we are trying to win games. To get booed
out of your own building hurts when you're trying."

Carbonneau is looking for a way to get the team headed in the
right direction again.

"In the first 15 games, we played as a team, we were fresh on
the ice, passes were crisp," Carbonneau said. "Now the
confidence is not there. There's a lot of hesitation in our
game and it takes a lot of time to react to the play.

"We have to rebuild that confidence. There's 21,000 people
behind us for every game, if you can't get pumped up to play.
We had a good day off on Sunday, a good practice on Monday - we
should have been ready and that's what worries me."

Price, who was playing because Cristobal Huet was sidelined with
a groin injury, finished with 30 saves.